Acura TL Maintenance and Repair

Comments

I purchased a new battery at Costco (size D) that was matched for my car. I put it in yesterday and ever since, my maintenance light comes on whenever the car auto switches gear then goes off again after it's done switching. The speedometer always goes to zero when switching gears but quickly goes back up to where it was originally. Any idea what's going on or suggestions to fix it?

I am very close to buy a one owner TL with 80K miles. The guy has been driving it on a 70 mile each way hwy work commute.

The clutch (Like most TL's on E-bay I have been watching) was replaced at 70K under warranty. he selling as he want something with more power since the car is having too many miles. Highway miles on a used car never bothered me.

Is there anything I need to look for when examining this car beside all his service records? Is there any reason to stay away from 2004-2006 TL's?

Do they have any annoying " VW check engine light" type problems or unsolved electrical/mechanical issues?

Never had a car with Nav and wish this car didn't have it either. Any reliability problems with Nav?

Can you replace the rear spark plugs w/o removing the intake manifold?

I bought a 04 tl with 16k miles on it. The main, really only problem I have had is with rattles. There have been a lot of them, but after numerous trips to the dealer, they are fixed. It took several yrs but other than that, I've been very happy with the car. It now has 45k on it. No other problems. Great to drive...good luck.

I'm thinking about purchasing an Acura TL, but I would know if the maintenance costs are expensive. I know that this is a higher end car, but I would hope that the costs aren't relative to repairng a lexus or BMW. I would like to know the average costs of oil changes, tune ups, tires( do they require a special type of tire?) and what are some of the common problems that most buyers experience with the Acura TL. I would like to buy a model in between 2007 and 2009. Any information would be great. Thanks!

Oh yeah....How is the road noise? I want a higher end car because I don't want to feel and hear every bump in the road anymore. I drive a pointiac now....they are great reliable cars but the road noise is there all day from day one!

I have a 2007 TL. What is the TSA button for? This is located to the the lower left of my dash. I remember asking the Acura sales guy about it and he didn't have a clue. I accidently pressed it the other day while driving and the hazard symbol appeared on my dashboard.

VSA on the 05TL is the vehicle stability assist (traction control). When you push it a warning exclamation mark on the dash will warn that it is off.

The Owner's manual recommends it be left on. If you haven't read the owner's manual I think you will find it it very informative in that it will alert you to some features of your car that you may not know you have (such as backup mirror tilt-down, tap-on interior lights, key-fob all windows down selection etc).

While pulling up to a traffic light in my 2008 Acura TL, as I was pressing the brakes the driver side airbag deployed. My car wasn't hit, there was no debris on the road and despite of what Acura is claiming, there was no "huge" pot hole. Anyone experience same thing in their Acura TL's? Acura techs looked at the car and came up with a bunch bs excuses about "pot hole" damage, so they would not have to pay for the damage under car defect warranty. No recourse from Acura corporate either - like parrots, they are just repeating what the dealership is saying. Anyone have a suggestion on how to fight this?

I purchased a 2010 TL Tech package and after using the car for a few weeks I started hearing noises from the back seat, after taking it to the dealer they told me the noise is coming from the gas tank. It was the fuel moving around apparently they used a bigger tank in the newer TL's which makes this type of noise and they class it as a characteristic of the vehicle, I called Acura and they told me the something there is on fix for this problem. Which blows my mind I paid over 40k for this car and not only do I hear road noise but also the gas moving in the tank what can a person do about this the dealer and Acura is stating all of the new TL's have this same noise can they actually get away with something like this. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

I just purchased a 2005 TL to replace a disastrous Nissan Murano SE and I have to say I am driving a fabulous machine.

I usually don't buy new cars because of the miles I have to drive. I looked at a lot of cars before I bought a 6 spd. manual TL in great shape. This car drives like it just came off the lot. It had 100k miles so I had to replace the timing belt ($850) but I bought the car for only $11K. It always ran on synthetic so the engine is solid.

The market is flush with a lot of good TL's coming off of leases from '05 - '08. There are some great deals here.

The TL is a luxury sports sedan so expect to pay up for service and parts. E.g. - I know brakes are expensive (~$200). I would always recommend synthetic oil; this engine revs high and it will last 300k miles if you keep synthetic in it.

Tune ups are very high at Acura dealers; however, I took mine to a Honda dealer who will do the work for about 25% less. The Accord V6 uses a similar engine.

Tires will run around $650 for a set.

You can save on some things by going to Autozone and doing the work yourself (there is no magic to replacing spark plugs) or go to a reputable smaller shop (like: Midas; etc.). I've only had the car a month so I am still learning about it.

I think you will be happy with this car. I drove a Murano for five years and now feel like I've been reborn.

Has anyone had issues with windshield chips from flying pebbles, etc.?

I never noticed this much with my last Acura but my 2007 TL seems to have suffered from several chips on the windshield in the past three years. I'm starting to wonder if this is a more fragile windshield or simply more freeway driving.

Also, are windshild chips dangerous? Will they become worse with time?

I just bought a TL and got hit by a pebble on the freeway last week which left a pit.

I was p.o.'d to say the least. I have had similar problems with my 4Runner. I had a Murano that seemed to be more resistant to such encounters. I am guessing that it is mostly due to the strength of the temper in the glass and the shape of the windshield.

Rounded windshields will be stronger and more resistant to pits and chips. The inertia force (vector) of the stone will be glanced off (rounded w.s.) rather than absorb the impact. A flat windshield will absorb more if not full impact.

In my 2000 TL, I had the windshield replaced twice. Called the insurance company and it was no charge. I drive pretty fast when we travel and the low sloping hood directs it right up to the windshield. As long as it was near the driver viewing area, they will replace it (at least mine does). If you have any questions about replacing it, contact a local body shop and meet their glass guy when he arrives to do a job for the shop. They are VERY helpful if you know what I mean. I also ended up with a chip on the hood each time. I have the 3M clear coating on the hood of my 08 and I am hoping that helps absorb the energy of the stone.

Yeah, and the sooner the better. If that pilot bushing is acting up, it could seize the transmission main shaft into the flywheel, and then you got a BIG problem. (get out the welding torch, basically).

Of course, the likelihood of that is just about nil, but after many years, I have learned never to entirely discount the "weird" when it comes to cars, even new-ish ones.

I guarantee you it is a belt-maybe the drive belt.I had the same sound from my wife's 2004 Accord and I thought it was the cold temperature because the sound would go away after the car was driven for about a mile.Then after about a month or more it began to get louder and instinct told me this is not normal.I took it to Pep Boys and right on the spot the technician knew it was a belt.He sprayed some form of silicone on it to minimize the noise and I eventually took it to the Honda dealer and they replaced the belt. The steering feels much tighter after the replacement and the noise is completely gone.

Just a few hundred miles on my TL. First my wife's 2009 TSX-Tech as you change from AM-FM,CD or XM I find the audio volume setting about the same, number 8-9. All audio sources are balanced. On my 2010 TL, XM,HDD,USB or CD are all about the same around a 8 volume setting like my wife's TSX, HOWEVER when I go to AM or FM I have to increase the volume setting to almost 14 or 15 to get it close to the others sources.. Anyone have a similar issue and if yes, did you get it fixed and how? :confuse: :confuse:

Take pictures of the road leading up to the light where your airbag deployed. Get reports from the city that show there were no potholes repaired at that location right after your incident. Show these to Acura and let them know you'll be turning them over to your lawyer if they don't agree to cover the incident under warranty. Also file a complaint with the NHTSA as this is a serious safety issue (possible to loose control if the airbag deploys while driving at a higher rate of speed).

My 05 TL was hit HARD in rear end 2 yr ago while stopped in freeway accident ; I have secured attorney and am suing for compensation.... One unaddressed item is the reduced value of the car since it was in an accident, where the repair bill was $6700 or so. A new rear quarter panel and trunk components were installed , other items re-worked. I was injured in neck area and am still in treatment.

My question is how to value the car after it has been in an accident like this so that the reduced value of the car on the market can be assessed and presented to the attorneys. At the time , the car had 22,000 miles on it , and I am orig owner. It now has 45k miles on it. I could not afford to purchase a new car...and had about $35,5K invested in the car new.Thanks for suggestions.